Abrupt Climate Change36:17

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In 2002, the National Academy of Sciences published a report which concluded that "abrupt climate changes are not only possible but likely in the future, potentially with large impacts on ecosystems and societies."

In 2003, the Pentagon hired Peter Schwartz from "Global Business Network," a scenario-planning think tank, to examine all available research and write a report about a plausible scenario on the national security implications of the threat.

The scenario they chose to examine is one that took place 8,200 years ago and is believed to have been caused by a shut down of the thermohaline conveyor belt. The report concludes that "the risk of abrupt climate change should be elevated beyond a scientific debate to a U.S. national security concern."

On Point talks with Schwartz about the chilling effects of global warming.

Guests:

Peter Schwartz, President of Global Business Network, a futurist think tank in Emeryville, CA, co-author of the Pentagon's report "An Abrupt Climate Change Scenario and its Implications for United States National Security," Oct 2003.